Al Shabaa Claims it will retake Mogadishu

Insurgent group al Shabaab has made a dramatic statement, one day after Somalian Prime Minister Mohammed Abdullahi Mohammed said the government, allied with the international community, has the ability to eliminate the threat posed by militants.

In a press conference in Mogadishu, Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Rage, the spokesman of the al Qaeda-inspired group, described the government’s comments as a "dream."

Rage said the fight is between al Shabaab and the transitional federal government of Somalia, which has international support. “The [United Nations Security Council] special meeting on Somalia in New York was a forum in which Somali government officials were begging for infidels,” Rage said.

He called on Somalis, already exhausted from civil war, to "get ready" for new combat with the Somali government, vowing al Shabaab will retake Mogadishu.

Rage also criticized local media, saying that they were spreading news about al Shabaab that was baseless and false. He called on the people to not believe the reports.

Al Shabaab’s statements come as the Somali prime minister stated in an interview with Voice of America that it is in the interest of the international community to help his government eliminate the threat posed by the insurgents. He warned that failure to do so will create a haven for terrorists, including al Qaeda, in Somalia.

The Rest @ AHN